Australian academic survey claims that offshore punters are more likely to become problem gamblers

High profile Australian academic Dr. Sally Gainsbury at the University of Sydney has published the results of a 3,199 respondent study in collaboration with other Australian universities which claims that almost 26 percent of Australian online gamblers use illegal offshore gambling sites, and are more likely to be problem gamblers.

Online casino and poker activity is banned in Australia, although online sports betting at licensed sites in permitted.

Gainsbury’s study examined online gamblers and their behaviour vs. Australians who use only local licensed (sports betting) sites. It looked at site selection, awareness of gambling legislation and experience of gambling-related problems among online punters.

The study concluded that:

* 74.2 percent of respondents were domestic gamblers, and 25.8 percent gambled on offshore sites;

* Typically, offshore punters are male; younger; never married; living in a household with one parent;

* They tend to be less educated; more likely to be unemployed or a full-time student; likely to speak a language other than English at home; and significantly more likely to have only a mobile phone than domestic gamblers;

* Offshore gamblers are significantly more likely to engage in multiple forms of gambling compared to those who gamble domestically;

* They also tend to gamble for significantly longer in a session when betting on sports;

* Offshore gamblers are significantly more likely to be at moderate risk or problem gamblers;

* There is evidence that gambling through domestically licensed sites is associated with lower levels of gambling-related problems.

“Understanding consumers’ use of offshore sites may enable design of strategies and policies to reduce demand and access, and provide greater levels of consumer protection,” the survey notes, adding that demand for locally banned forms of online gambling (ie casino and poker) will continue as new generations of tech savvy punters choose the online environment.

Gainsbury concludes that regulators need to reduce the availability and use of offshore gambling facilities in order to minimise “unfair” competition for licensed providers, retain gambling taxes, enforce regulations and protect consumers.